Nano Membrane Toilet
Alison Parker
O. Autin, H. Arslan, P. Cruddas, E. Mercer, S. Wagland, K. Patchigolla,
B. Fidalgo Fernandez, T. Onabanjo, D. Hanak, M. Collins, R. Tierney, J.,
Larsson, K, Kentrotis, N. Jurado Pontes, F. Kamranvand, P. Hutchings,
D. Barrington, A. Kolios, E. McAdam, L. Williams, E. Cartmell, S. Tyrrel
Cranfield University
#nanomembrane
System configuration
2
Waterless flush
3
Waterless flush
4
Waterless flush
5
Screw: experimental set up
Mercer, E., Cruddas, P., Williams, L., Kolios, A., Parker, A.H., Tyrrel, S.F., Cartmell, E., Pidou, M., McAdam,E.
(2016) Selection of screw characteristics and operational boundary conditions to facilitate post-flush urine and
faeces separation within single household sanitation systems, Environmental Science: Water Research &
6
Technology 2, 953-964
Different screws trialled
Mercer, E., Cruddas, P., Williams, L., Kolios, A., Parker, A.H., Tyrrel, S.F., Cartmell, E., Pidou, M., McAdam,E.
(2016) Selection of screw characteristics and operational boundary conditions to facilitate post-flush urine and
faeces separation within single household sanitation systems, Environmental Science: Water Research &
7
Technology 2, 953-964
Total dry solids extruded within fixed time interval
Mercer, E., Cruddas, P., Williams, L., Kolios, A., Parker, A.H., Tyrrel, S.F., Cartmell, E., Pidou, M., McAdam,E.
(2016) Selection of screw characteristics and operational boundary conditions to facilitate post-flush urine and
faeces separation within single household sanitation systems, Environmental Science: Water Research &
8
Technology 2, 953-964
Experiments with real faeces
Mercer, E., Cruddas, P., Williams, L., Kolios, A., Parker, A.H., Tyrrel, S.F., Cartmell, E., Pidou, M., McAdam,E.
(2016) Selection of screw characteristics and operational boundary conditions to facilitate post-flush urine and
faeces separation within single household sanitation systems, Environmental Science: Water Research &
9
Technology 2, 953-964
Drier
10
Combustor
11
Energy recovery from human faeces
• Modelling showed that the maximum recoverable exergy potential from
average adult moist human faeces can be up to 15 MJ/kg.
• Experimental work has also showed that dry human faeces had a higher
energy content than wood biomass.
• Simulant faeces can be successfully combusted even if the moisture
levels are as high as 60% by weight.
Onabanjo, T., Patchigolla, K., Wagland, S., Fidalgo, B., Kolios, A., McAdam, E., Parker, A., Williams, L., Tyrrel, S.,
Cartmell, E (2016) Energy Recovery From Human Faeces via Gasification: A Thermodynamic Equilibrium
Modelling Approach, Energy Conversion and Management 118, 364-376
Onabanjo, T., Kolios, A.J., Patchigolla, K., Wagland, S., Fidalgo, B. Jurado, N., Hanak, D.P., Manovic, V., Parker,
A., McAdam, E., Williams, L., Tyrrel, S. (2016) Cartmell, E., An experimental investigation of the combustion
performance of human faeces, Fuel 184, 780–791
12
Liquid processing
13
Optimising membrane processes
Wang, C.Y., Cartmell, E., Kolios, A., McAdam, E., Parker, A.H., Tyrrel, S.F., Williams, L. (2016) Tube-side mass
transfer for hollow fibre membrane contactors operated in the low Graetz range, Journal of Membrane Science
14
523, 235–246
Overall energy balance
• Energy modelling suggests that the Nano Membrane Toilet will be a net
exporter of energy and power, and can be optimised for either water or
energy recovery.
• If optimised for energy recovery its output could be equivalent to a USB
port
Hanak, D., Kolios, A., Fidalgo, B., McAdam, E., Parker, A., Williams, L., Tyrrel, S., Cartmell, E., (2016) Conceptual
energy and water recovery system for self-sustained nano-membrane
toilet , Energy Conversion and
15
Management 126, 352-361
User perspectives
• Surveys with prospective users in Ghana have informed development
Larsson, J., Tierney, R., Goffin, K., Kolios, A., McAdam, E., Parker, A., Williams, L., Tyrrel, S., Cartmell, E.,
Translating Insights from Ethnography on Low-Income users of Bucket Collection Toilets in Ghana, Journal of
16
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, accepted subject to revisions
User testing in the UK
6
Number of respondents
5
4
3
2
1
0
Very easy
Easy
OK
Not easy
Users responses to the question “how easy was the toilet to use?”
17
Difficult
[email protected]
www.nanomembranetoilet.org
#nanomembrane
www.cranfield.ac.uk